The present invention generally relates to a film-forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a technology of continuously forming a film on an object to be film-formed having a film-like shape.
Nowadays, there is a demand for a technology of continuously forming a film on an object to be film-formed having a film-like shape, for the purpose of attaining a light-weight, flexible, and large-area substrate.
FIG. 6 is a structural view illustrating an inside of a conventional art film-forming apparatus 100.
The conventional art film-forming apparatus 100 includes a film-forming chamber 111 having a film-forming space 116 defined therein, a cylindrical member 112 arranged in the film-forming space 116, and a discharge apparatus 113 arranged outside the cylindrical member 112 and configured to discharge a raw material gas.
An object to be film-formed having a film-like shape is brought into close contact with the cylindrical member 112; and a back surface of the object to be film-formed is brought into close contact with the cylindrical member 112. When the object to be film-formed is moved while rotating the cylindrical member 112, a thin film is formed on a front surface of the object to be film-formed.
During the film formation, a part of the raw material gas in the film-forming space 116 adheres to the discharge apparatus 113, and an adhesion film is formed on the discharge apparatus 113. When the discharge apparatus 113 having the adhesion film adhering thereto is left as it is, the adhesion film peels off and becomes a dust source to affect the subsequent film formation to be carried out in the same film-forming chamber 111. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the discharge apparatus 113 before the adhesion film peels off.
In the conventional art film-forming apparatus 100, however, it is necessary to stop the film formation when cleaning the discharge apparatus 113 after the start of the film formation. Thus, the productivity is poor.
JPA2008-57020 and JPA2009-138239 disclose a technology for carrying out the film formation and the cleaning at the same time. However, when the film formation and the cleaning are carried out at the same time, there is a problem in that the film-forming gas and the cleaning gas are mixed with each other to affect both the film formation and the cleaning.